New Bloc Party album... this week.

Echoing a move that's getting more and more common these days, British band Bloc Party will release a new album with essentially no notice. The band's third album, Intimacy was announced today, and it will be available digitally on Thursday, Aug. 21. (You can preorder today.) A physical release is planned for October 28 on Atlantic Records, and the actual CD will apparently have different tracks. (You'll recall that The Hold Steady did something similar, adding three tracks to the actual CDs of Stay Positive). What's it sound like? According to a press release: "Some songs are Bloc Party at their most wildly experimental, ditching their guitars for something all together more exciting, while other tracks are simply classic Bloc Party..." Sounds like a hedge to me! I hope it doesn't all sound like "Mercury," which is interesting for one track but might be the death of a full album. Weird video for "Mercury" below.